'We Are Not Afraid': Over 22,000 Ukrainians Cross Border To Help Defend Homeland

As the war rages on, Ukrainians have shown unmatched courage and determination in resisting the Russian attack. Now reports have emerged that some 22,000 people have crossed into Ukraine since Thursday to help defend their homeland.

The Polish checkpoint of Medyka has been seeing a large queue of men and women who want to cross over to Ukraine, chanting " Slava Ukrainie! Geroyom Slava! [Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!]"

One of them is 26-year-old Vladimir Pavluk, who is returning home after working as a taxi driver in Poland. Carrying a large rucksack, Pavluk crossed over the border on foot. "It’s a terrible feeling when they bomb your home,” he says with a calm voice. “The war started and we have to go back. I fought between 2015 and 2019 so I know what to do," the 26-year-old from Odessa was quoted by Al Jazeera.

"We have to defend our homeland. Who else if not us?" a man in front of a group of some 20 Ukrainian truck drivers walking to the checkpoint to enter Ukraine told ABC News. "The Russians should be afraid. We are not afraid," another said.

While the members of the group declined to give their names for safety reasons, many openly said they are going to join the army to fight.

According to 28-year-old Denis, who spent six months working at construction sites in Poland, "everything" is in Ukraine.

"I’m on my own here in Poland. Why should I be here? So I go, for the homeland,” said Denis, with a small Ukrainian blue-and-yellow national flag on his winter jacket. "I want to go back to join the army, to fight. We will see, we hope we will win,“ he said.

Not just from Poland, there is an exodus from other parts of Europe too. Recent reports said a growing number of Ukrainians living in Britain are planning to return to fight the Russian army. The Ukrainian expats include veterans of the war with Russia.

Vitaly, 27, hailing from Zaporozhe in central Ukraine, is back home from Estonia and has not been in contact with his family for the past 16 years. This is his first war.

"I have never fought in my life. I went through military training a long time ago, but this is not stopping me. There are no words to describe how I feel,” he says.

“We’ve never wanted to fight, we haven’t invaded anyone, we are going to defend ourselves. There are sanctions against Russia but we understand that there are many things that our and your leaders don’t say. All we can do is mobilize," he told Al Jazeera.

He is accompanied by three other Ukrainians from Estonia. They are experienced fighters. Alexander, 38, fought alongside the Ukrainian army against Donbas separatists and knew the war was coming.

"When the embassies got evacuated I understood that the war would begin. I was not surprised. I’m going back to defend my country, my family, my land,” he tells Al Jazeera.